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Broadband Access
Rural
Deltenna launches the 'Wireless Broadband Enabler'
Promises reliable 2Mbps connection in rural areas
by Chris Snow
A device to deliver broadband to rural areas far from the DSL exchange was launched today by UK-based Deltenna. The small gadget, called the "WiBE" (Wireless Broadband Enabler), uses the 3G mobile network to create a 2Mbps web hotspot, even when a 3G mobile phone wouldn’t register a signal. The WiBE’s theoretical maximum throughput is 7.2Mbps and Deltenna's rural usage tests in the UK demonstrated an average download speed of 2.8 Mbps.
In areas of weak signal it delivers a data throughput 30-times greater than a 3G USB modem dongle. And the connection range is up to five-times that of the 3G dongle.
This is achieved through Deltenna’s patented antennas and alignment algorithms. Using these, the device automatically identifies the mobile cell basestation with the best throughput, not necessarily the highest bandwidth alone, to achieve the cleanest overall connection. Over time, these algorithms will "learn" the patterns of a given site, and Deltenna claims performance will continue to improve throughout the product's life.
The WiBE will be sold to OEMs and operators. It was created to bring broadband to emerging economies and rural areas, where there is access to a mobile network but not high speed DSL lines.
According to Iain Wood of the benchmarking firm Epitiro, although mobile broadband statistics tend to "read" well, service often fails to live up. In this case however, Wood believes Deltenna's product "does what it claims," and "can work as long as cells aren't totally saturated."
At only seven inches tall and five inches in diameter, the tiny white cylinder is small enough to fit on a windowsill. Featuring a built-in BGN Wi-Fi router with integrated firewall, the device is self-configuring and--according to Deltenna--requires no setup. The WiBe is compatible across all operators, including those in the U.S., where Deltenna hopes their marketability will soon extend.
A 4G (LTE) device is also in development and will be announced in 2011. Deltenna expects this unit to achieve typical rural broadband speeds of 50Mbps and greater.
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